New Orleans Escapes The Big One Again - Thank God

[gtalum]

CZ, IMHO your assessment is correct. It's going to be really bad, but could have been so much worse worse. The "worst-case scenario" celarly did not occur for New Orleans. Don't let others' opinions get you down.

[jujubean]

it is a little early to say how bad it really is in places that were hardest hit. after andrew people didn't have any idea how bad it was until they got helicopters up over the affected areas, and I just heard a man that has lived in new orleans all his life describe the scene as catastrophic and also said he could not believe what he was seeing ,reporting 12 feet of wter in some areas and still rising and also I'm really concerned for mississippi coast have a feeling it is very bad. I expect katrina to exceed andrew in most costliest and have a nagging fear death toll will be fairly high

[blueeyes_austin]

it is a little early to say how bad it really is in places that were hardest hit. after andrew people didn't have any idea how bad it was until they got helicopters up over the affected areas, and I just heard a man that has lived in new orleans all his life describe the scene as catastrophic and also said he could not believe what he was seeing ,reporting 12 feet of wter in some areas and still rising and also I'm really concerned for mississippi coast have a feeling it is very bad. I expect katrina to exceed andrew in most costliest and have a nagging fear death toll will be fairly high

Exactly. I'm horribly afraid, for example, that Slidell is going to be the Homestead of this hurricane.

[AlabamaDave]

I think it will be up in the thousands before it is all said and done. Deadliest hurricane of all time. Mississippi got the doomsday scenario.

Don't know about the thousands, but I fear that it may exceed Camille's numbers. MS was ground zero and they had a lot of people thinking NO. My boss just told me that folks are already hot with the NWS over this and if the death toll spikes in MS, then the blame game will begin.

I agree with your assessment on MS. I fear it's going to be very bad there when it's all said and done. God bless their souls.

I honestly don't know what else the NHC could have done. A lot of people simply have no sense of logic and/or no common sense. There is only so much the weather forecasters and emergency officials can do to protect these stupid people. This storm followed the predicted path exactly, and the track was nailed two days out. What more do people expect?? The Mississippi coast was expected to receive the East side of the hurricane.

[Windy]

Did NOLA dodge the bullet? Yes. NOLA is going to be seriously messed up when they get a chance to look it over, though.

As for everything east of NOLA and the coastal areas -- I think we'll be quite shocked at what is found.

Also, remember that inland flooding is the number one source of hurricane fatalities. And this storm is going to remain strong well inland.

[ConvergenceZone]

I agree. Even though I think it could have been alot worse in New Orleans, I do believe that the OVERALL damage everywhere may exceed Andrew and there are wind and damage reports all over the place and well inland, especially in Mississippi and Alabama.

[AlabamaDave]

Even though the winds may have been Cat-3 when it hit Slidell and points Eastward along the MS Coast, the incredible distance away from the center that these winds spread is only going to compound the amount of damage many-fold. Instead of a narrow swath of extreme damage, there is probably a 60-70 mile wide swath of extensive wind damage in addition to a Cat-5 level surge.

[superfly]

This was NEVER set up to be the worst case scenario. I have been saying this for a couple days but I have been getting flamed everytime I've said it. The doomsday scenario is a slow moving cat 4+ cane moving in from the SE or ESE just north of the Miss.R. delta so that the eyewall not only hits NOLA before the eye even hits land, but there is a much wider window of time for northerly winds to push L.Pontchartrain's water toward New Orleans. A storm approaching from the south not only passes 50-70 miles of land before reaching New Orleans but the northerly winds only start when the eye passes to the east of New Orleans as opposed to the ENTIRE TIME as it is approaching if it was coming from the SE or ESE.

[Hunter74]

Sure did dodge the Bullet again!!! And thank God The Picture the Mayor painted during his news conference didn't happen for all parts of NO.

[jkt21787]

from wwltv:

Mayor Nagin confirms bodies have been found floating in Bywater, Eastover and New Orleans East.

[ConvergenceZone]

from wwltv:

Mayor Nagin confirms bodies have been found floating in Bywater, Eastover and New Orleans East.

damn, that's awful. I wish they would mention this stuff on CNN.

[Innotech]

but are we tlaking about people who died in KAtrina, or corpses floating from underground?

[Hfcomms]

...They are not out of danger yet!!! Those levies are water soaked and under great pressure. In addition pumps are out with no power and much water will be coming down from up North from all the rain up there. As bad as it is it's not time yet for early celebration that it wasn't worse.

[inotherwords]

This was NEVER set up to be the worst case scenario. I have been saying this for a couple days but I have been getting flamed everytime I've said it. The doomsday scenario is a slow moving cat 4+ cane moving in from the SE or ESE just north of the Miss.R. delta so that the eyewall not only hits NOLA before the eye even hits land, but there is a much wider window of time for northerly winds to push L.Pontchartrain's water toward New Orleans. A storm approaching from the south not only passes 50-70 miles of land before reaching New Orleans but the northerly winds only start when the eye passes to the east of New Orleans as opposed to the ENTIRE TIME as it is approaching if it was coming from the SE or ESE.

Yes it was set up as a doomsday scenario, by the New Orleans NWS and by FEMA. I have a copy of the NWS report. Just because you and a couple other people made a lucky guess there is no reason to be so smug about it. As someone else said, nobody was flaming you for what you were saying, it was how you were saying it, implying that the rest of us were idiots for taking the authorities at their word and worrying that what we feared might come to pass. I myself was worried about the levees, which very easily could have broken through and the city flooded even with the storm we had because they were only engineered to withstand a Cat. 3 storm, and that was even "iffy." I was also worried about potential disasters with the many refineries and chemical plants in the area. We as a nation were lucky. New Orleans was lucky. So was your guess.

So fine, pat yourself on the bac and stop with the childish "I was right, you were not, bow down before me" garbage because there are bigger things to focus on right now, like the hundreds if not thousands of people who might have been swept away in the lower part of Louisiana and in Mississippi, and what a million people are going to do who won't be able to return to their homes or be comfortable for a very long time.

[djtil]

most likely corpses.....with most burials above ground any flooding event leads to this in the easy.

[vbhoutex]

We have confirmed reports of major structural damage in Gulfport and wind gusts to 137 mph there. Also have confirmed surge several blocks inland and a report that it actually reached to I-10 on the North side of Gulfport.

http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=72451

[inotherwords]

We have confirmed reports of major structural damage in Gulfport and wind gusts to 137 mph there. Also have confirmed surge several blocks inland and a report that it actually reached to I-10 on the North side of Gulfport.

http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=72451

How far inland is 1-10 on the north side of Gulfport?

[TS Zack]

Pittiful anyone would think New Orleans escaped this.

Sorry if I come off the wrong way but I am sitting here wondering if my house is still standing. Just got some news, the Westbank has taken water from the Harvey Canal and is in homes. Unless I am dumb, losing your house is the worst case. Bodies floating. COME ON!

We always go through this, no damage until we get out and look. From what I see only in New Orleans, I am scared to see St. Bernard, Plaquemines,Jefferson, and Orleans parishes damage. Wait till you get the pictures away from the city.

Sorry, just not in a good mood because I am going home to a flooded home and torn apart city. Next storm should go to the ones that were sitting here waiting to see that 40 ft of water in the city.

Unbelieavable, the nerve people have to sit here and tell us it isn't bad.

[djtil]

i dont think anyone has said it isnt bad....the discussions focus on that it couldve been exponentially worse based on what the thought was 24 hours ago.

everyone knows its bad...except for that mkt guy who i cant belive still has posting privilidges...and wishes everyone the best in the clean up.

[jasons2k]

It most certainly could have been worse. If the worst-case did unfold, you would not be wondering if your house was still standing; there would be no question and you would not have a city to return to. Please just pray for the city; it's horrible.